


it's done together

by jasminetea



Series: Unprofessional [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Ballet, Duet, First Kiss, M/M, Modern Dance, Pas de deux, choreography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-18
Updated: 2012-08-18
Packaged: 2017-11-12 10:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/489639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminetea/pseuds/jasminetea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Queerly Transgressive Dance Company opens with a special encore performance by Erik Lehnsherr and the company's choreographer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's done together

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for [this](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/397.html?thread=146061#t146061) prompt on the kink meme. With thanks to [rumcity](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/3278.html?thread=5389518#t5389518) for letting me bounce ideas off of them. Title is from Vienna Teng's "Watershed."

Queerly Transgressive Dance Company premiers without much affair. Promoting a new company takes time and connections, and to build those connections they need a public performance to impress the local dance community.  
  
It's no secret that QT Dance Co--a nickname coined by Raven, finding it just _too cute_ to pass up--has been in the works for awhile.  Enough dissatisfied dancers committing to some unknown choreographer, Charles Xavier, warrants some attention.  If the rumors were true, Russian ex-pat Azazel Questad--his maiden name long forgotten after the scandal of changing his last name to his partner's--had vowed to cross the country for this company when it finally took off.  
  
Despite the news running through the local circuit--and quite a few cross-country ballets, and one or two very _nationally_ known companies--very few people actually show up for the small public performance.  
  
Raven pulled some strings at a local theatre, having gone to art school with its manager, Hank McCoy. Charles suspects Raven might've put a bit more flirting than necessary to persuade the poor boy, but Charles doesn't have the heart to tell the boy his sister favors women.  
  
There are people scattered across the rows, and if the phones out are any indication, they might be posted onto Youtube or Vimeo. As Charles discreetly tries peeking from behind the curtains in a fit of nerves, Erik assures him that he recognizes some of the people.  They teach at the local colleges, and Erik wouldn't be surprised if they were going to discuss how this performance went with the rest of their acquaintances.  
  
Still, Charles' hands shake as he grips the curtains. He hasn't really debuted any work since what feels like so long ago with that pas de deux with Alex and Erik at Ballet in the Park. He still dreams about the day he filled in for Alex and how marvelous it'd felt to finally, finally dance with Erik.  How it didn't matter that at the time that Charles was--and still is--nowhere near the dancer Erik is and better suited to choreography.  
  
But now he can watch Erik dance all the time. As artistic director and choreographer this company is his child, and he's there for all the rehearsals leading up to this.  
  
"Are you ready?" Erik asks from his side.  
  
"No, not really," Charles replies.  
  
Erik squeezes his shoulder.  
  
"Time for me to go out, and for you to go backstage to make sure everything is as it should."  
  
The lights go on, the curtains begin to open, and Charles rushes to make sure Raven hasn't made any last minute God-awful costume changes--he knows she wanted the neon feathers with glitter instead of the black unitards Charles picked. He smiles to himself, thinking the comment is Erik's way of being affectionate.  
  
Sean and Erik have the last piece of the show. It's the same piece from Ballet at the Park, revised quite a bit, leaning decidedly towards modern now instead of ballet, and with Sean in Alex's part, since Alex has another six months until he can come.  
  
Charles marvels at how any dance, and especially his own, can be so different each time it's performed. He remembers Alex's anger, and how Erik had responded in like. That had been a battle; what he recalls most are the exquisite leaps each of them had done. Sean is different; his movements are lax and easy, and this time Erik supports him. This is a friendship, and Erik's quiet support in his arm, the line of his back, is what lets Sean shine.  
  
Charles isn't surprised the two are smiling as they take their bows. He _is_ surprised when Raven crosses the stage with flowers in her hands, passes them to Sean as he walks off-stage, and pushes Charles on-stage. It feels strange to be center-stage with applause when it's for his choreography. A mic passes his way, he makes his thank yous, some of the audience leaves. Whoever is left mills about, waiting for the dancers to come out so they can converse.  
  
Charles is about to leave the stage when familiar strains come from the speakers. He looks up to the sound booth, and thinks he sees Hank giving him a thumbs up.  
  
And then there is Erik back on stage, on one knee. This pose, this music, this is the same piece Sean and Erik have just done, and why oh why are they--and Charles knows the whole damn company has to be in on this, especially Raven, because she knows how much he loved dancing with Erik just the once--asking Charles to do this?  
  
Erik smiles up at him, and the genuine contentment radiating from him is so rare, strange, and beautiful enough that when he says, "Come on, Charles," that Charles can't say no.  
  
Their duet isn't as rough as the first time, Charles knows this piece forwards and backwards now, but all that delicious attention from Erik that makes his skin spark where they touch is still there in perfect detail. Charles has seen Erik play many roles for dancing; with Sean he'd been a brother, with Alex he'd been an adversary, and here, with Charles, Charles thinks this is closer to seduction.  
  
Every hand down their bodies seems bent on attraction, the slap of their bodies lewd, the looks between them hooded.  It's so heady for Charles to have all this with Erik even if only for these minutes. Erik's fingers linger longer around Charles's waist, and Charles moves across Erik's prone one even slower.  
  
They end, as they had before, with Erik on one knee, his hands holding Charles in an arabesque. Now, Charles swings his leg forward into attitude, and then shifts his weight so it comes over Erik's shoulder.  
  
Charles can feel Erik's heavy breaths, his shoulder blades moving with each, see the sweat sweeping down his temples, and Charles can practically taste the salt of it on the back of his tongue. Charles licks his lips, and at the flash of want in Erik's eyes, Charles feels another flush of warmth across his cheeks.  
  
Erik slides out from under Charles, coming up to his full height. And then, Charles grasps his jaw and draws him down for a kiss.  
  
It's everything Charles hoped for. They come up for air, Charles flicking his tongue across the bead of sweat at the top of Erik's lip.  
  
"That was unprofessional of me," Charles murmurs. "I shouldn't have done that."  
  
And Erik, oh Erik, replies, "It's unprofessional in the same companies that wouldn't let you perform that duet because of the homoerotic subtext." Erik gives Charles' bottom lip a sharp bite. "You decided to let Romeo have Tybalt anyway, so fuck their professionalism too."  
  
Charles laughs, and reaches up on tip-toe-relev _é_ for another kiss, not caring of their audience.

**Author's Note:**

> Music: Vienna Teng’s "Watershed," Charlotte Martin’s "The Dance," and Florence + the Machine’s "Blinding."
> 
> Charles and Erik's duet was inspired by Sonya Delwaide's "Lettre à Jos" with Private Freeman and Yukie Fujimoto. I am unable to find a video, but if you ever have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.


End file.
